GGundam: New Deals
by tremor3258
Summary: The Shuffles prepare for the 14th, and others prepare for the Shuffles...
1. Opening Bids

G-Gundam: New Deals

  
  


Opening Bids

  
  


by Tremor3258

  
  


*******************

  
  


Chibodee Crocket, Queen of Spades, 3rd place fighter in the 13th Gundam Fight, and almost certainly the Neo-American fighter for the 14th, chewed on a stick, feeling unconcerned. Most people, perhaps even some of the other members of the Shuffle Alliance, would wonder about Chibodee's state of mental health, as even a poor tactician could see he was in a lousy position.

  
  


Gundam Maxter stood at attention in Boxing Mode, powerful fists gleaming in the sunshine, the destroyed remnants of its beam magnums at its feet. This scene of Neo-American might was tempered by the four other mobile suits standing arrayed against it, surrounded by rolling rocky hills. Resembling men in robotic armor, the Nobusshi suits, used across the colonies, were no match for a Gundam one-on-one, even with the powerful beam rifles these were holding. Still, it was four on one, and the postures of Chibodee's opponent mobile suits, rifles set at the firing position, radiated confidence. One moved slightly forward, motioning menacingly.

  
  


"Surrender, Chibodee!" warned a female speaker from the lead mobile suit. "Your position is hopeless!" 

  
  


Chibodee glanced around for a moment, and then shrugged. "Guess you're right," he drawled slightly, before complaining, "And the scenery's LOUSY from this angle." Chibodee took a deep breath, and balled his hands into fists. Gundam Maxter did the same, though its fists were hidden from hostile gazes under the 'boxing gloves'. "Guess it's time to change it," he announced, before shouting an attack command, "Cyclone PUNCH!" Chibodee roared,bending to one knee as he drove his right fist straight down at the ground. Maxter, eyes glowing, mimicked his movements, wind gathering around the fist before the force of air surrounded the mighty Gundam, launching it into the air.

  
  


Caught off guard, the Nobusshi desperately shifted their guns to fire at the rapidly rising Gundam. "Sorry, ladies!" said Chibodee in triumph, "But you didn't get up early enough to beat this Gundam Fighter. Burning Punch!" Chibodee commanded, launching several rapid-fire punches in succession. Maxter responded, tubes of flames twisting away from its gloves towards the stunned Nobusshis. Soon, four mobile suits hit the ground, their heads burned through by Maxter's power. Jets flaring lightly, Maxter settled down in the midst of the wrecked, and slightly crispy, suits, arms crossed in a posture of total confidence. 

  
  


Chibodee held the pose for several seconds, before sending a signal to the Gundam. The view-screens surrounding him went dark, replaced after a moment by the image of the scaffolding surrounding Maxter, snug in its bay on the Neo-American colony. Four screens popped up, each one for one of the lovely ladies on his crew. Each was sitting in a separate mock-up cockpit elsewhere in the Defense Department complex. "Well, what do you think girls?" Chibodee asked, throwing off a few practice right jabs, "Does Domon Kasshu even stand a chance?" 

  
  


Bunny, the glasses-wearing girl spoke up, "You're assuming you're going to passethe qualification rounds, Chibodee," she said with a grin, before assuming a face of mock compromise, "Of course, you're assuming he's going to pass as well." 

  
  


Chibodee's grin grew a few notches, "King of Hearts missing the fight? I think he'd die if he didn't make it! He's Neo-Japan's champion, they'd be crazy not to send him down and TRY to get four more years of control." Chibodee raised up a hand, index finger extended as he made a second point, "Besides... you've seen who's come forward for the talent pool for Qualification this year. Not bad... but with the training that I've been doing, they really don't stand a chance!"

  
  


Another screen popped up, interrupting Chibodee in his plans for glory. A man with dark hair, sunglasses, and wearing a business suit was centered in the middle of the screen, with several technicians wandering in the background. "Of course, Mr. Crocket, the upgrades to the original Maxter's servos and thruster system designs also help the Maxter II assist in your fighting style," he said stiffly. Chibodee looked around, agreeing. Much had been done to replicate the feel and look of Chibodee's previous Gundam, which, as with all Neo-American Gundams, had been stripped of its working parts, the mighty body put on display within the colony's branch of the Smithsonian.

  
  


Chibodee motioned for the man to calm down, "Relax, Mr. Johnson. I know how important the work of your team in Defense is to the rebuild, it handles twice as well as the original did!" Chibodee said brightly, before turning serious, "But when are those new beam pistols going to be ready?" Chibodee called up the simulation recordings, pointing to the shattered remnants of the magnums. "Considering how much trouble running out of ammo caused four years ago, you'd think all the taxpayers money could buy your Gundam Fighter some better guns!"

  
  


Johnson leaned back slightly, looking aggrieved, "You forget, Mr. Crocket, that the defense allocations have more than you to go to. Admittedly, your success means Defense has an easier time of getting more money on its own, but for the Gundam, your development grants are the same as everyone else's, and replacing the Statue of Liberty cannon hasn't been cheap either. Still, Sunbrite Industries is practically GIVING you those prototypes, so you can't complain." 

  
  


Chibodee nodded in reluctant agreement, "That's true. Of course, if they work half as well as they claimed," Chibodee chuckled and corrected, "Or even the quarter I'm expecting, they'll make a fortune selling them to you guys and the rest of the colonies." Johnson nodded, giving an amused, but heartfelt groan. 

  
  


"Speaking of the colonies," Bunny spoke up, "What's the latest intelligence reports for the next Gundam Fight?" Chibodee nodded in agreement.

  
  


Johnson picked up a small notebook, "Well, since you're not confirmed as the Gundam Fighter yet, there's a limit to what we can tell you. It looks like Neo-Japan is managing to enter after all, but I wouldn't expect them to be able to deploy anything besides Burning Gundam after both the colony repairs and the fines. They may be in charge of the Earth Sphere, but no one really wanted to help them that much with their rebuilding expenses."

  
  


Chibodee snorted, "Like they need anything more than Burning Gundam. Domon is going to be the fighter, right?"

  
  


Johnson nodded again before explaining, "It looks the whole Shuffle Alliance is going to at least attempt to enter. Not surprising after the publicity you five got, so you'll get your rematch." Johnson turned to the next page, and said, slightly startled, "But there's some preliminary stuff they gave. You should watch out, and tell your friends to as well when you see them. The Shuffle Alliance going public makes you all HUGE targets for the other Gundam Fighters."

  
  


"Only natural," Chibodee confirmed, "Who wouldn't want to take on the five best Gundam Fighters in the colonies? Still, it'll be good to give Domon what's coming to him without the Dark Gundam's Kings to distract us." 

  
  


Johnson chuckled, and said seriously, "That's what Defense wants to hear." His watch beeped, and Johnson winced, "Mr. Crocket... we're running late for that meeting with our publicity staff." 

  
  


"Damn," said Chibodee mildly. "Girls, you go on ahead while I shut things down here, and try and buy me some time away from those vultures!" His support staff nodded and all the screens winked out. A quick mental command later darkened the view of the outside world as Maxter went to shut-down mode. 

  
  


Chibodee quickly began to change, automatic after his long experience, and his thoughts ahead. It was November 20, FC 63, and the Gundam Fight was a little more than a month away. It looked to be a good one, with everyone's fighting spirits raised by the events of last year, and everyone hoped for a good clean Gundam Fight. Chibodee, as a Shuffle member, intended to do his best to enforce a clean fight, and hopefully he would have less trouble with his government next time. He'd proven that he could uphold the American dream AND the honor of the Fight simultaneously, so he'd get to fight his own battles. Which was better than his friends could say, with their more dictatorial colonies breathing down their necks-

  
  


A quick rattling noise suddenly echoed through the Gundam's cockpit. Chibodee was shaken from his thoughts, instantly alert as he brought his hands up to a ready stance, before dropping them to his side feeling foolish. "Just the reactor cooling down, Chibodee... gotta relax if you're going to win the Qualification Trials!" Chibodee chided himself.. before another ghostly rattle echoed through the cockpit. Chibodee blinked, and then quickly finished changing to his usual apparel, 

"Or.. maybe it's someone climbing Maxter's scaffolding," Chibodee muttered angrily. There were plenty of people, in Neo-America and out, who had something to gain from disabling the Gundam, and he had foolishly sent his security staff ahead for the photo shoot. "Oh, come on Chibodee... if you can't handle one lousy saboteur, how can you expect to be called a Gundam Fighter?" Chibodee braced himself, and popped open the forward cockpit, leaping from Maxter to stand poised on the forward cat-walk, which rattled under his feet, echoing around the empty bay.

  
  


Chibodee started, realizing what he had just thought, and a few glances confirmed: The bay, which should have had a few technicians working, was completely silent, but for the sound of Chibodee's breathing. "All right... so that's the way we're going to play it, huh?" Chibodee murmured, before taking a deep breath and jumping from the cat-walk, landing easily despite the six meter or so drop. 

  
  


Much as he'd like to stay and poke around, there was a good chance the technicians would need medical help... and so he raced for the alarm button situated near the door, expecting to have to dodge or catch a bullet, or perhaps a hail of bullets, with each step. He was pleasantly surprised to make it safely through the Gundam storage area, and, grinning in triumph, hit the alarm button behind its glass cover, turning as he did to go look for the technicians.

  
  


Klaxons howled, but the sound Chibodee was interested in was a hissing noise coming from behind him. Turning back to look at the alarm, Chibodee gasped as he saw vapor leaking from out of the alarm plate. "Gas?" he identified incredulously, but before he could say anything else, a powerful coughing fit wracked his body, dropping him to his knees. "Got to," Chibodee coughed, struggling forward, "Stop it!" he finished, but, as he raised his hand up to try and seal the flow, his body gave in to darkness.

  
  


*************

  
  


A quarter mile away, in a small, unmarked truck parked in an abandoned industrial neighborhood, the scene played out on a bank of video monitors. Several people were working in the truck, bamboozling Neo-American security as they hacked the security cameras within the complex. Their leader smiled, picking up a communicator and dialing the frequency.

  
  


"Target 1 has been disabled, sir," he reported, "But we can't confirm permanent neutralization, security is responding too quickly." 

  
  


"No matter... assuming we underestimated his strength even by half, he'll be in no shape to enter the Gundam Fight," reported back a cold voice. "You've done quite well... how long can your hackers hold off Neo-America?" 

  
  


The leader refocused his attention to his surroundings, and inhaled sharply. Dust particles were starting to dance off horizontal surfaces, and a nearly imperceptible rumbling conducted itself through the walls. The leader forced his voice past a suddenly dry throat, "Not long enough sir.. it seems we may be expecting company shortly."

  
  


"Very well," said the voice through the airwaves, slightly tinged with sadness. "Your relatives will be compensated, and know you died as heroes." 

  
  


The leader nodded, even thought it was highly probably even HIS superior couldn't see it. "Yes sir... goodbye." he said, as the terminated the connection. Turning the radio to look at its back, he popped the false casing off, mashing down on the red button located there. The last thing the commando saw was the bodies of his men, shadowed against a sudden terrible light.

  
  


Outside.. a Murphy mobile suit in helicopter mode paused in its frantic flight towards the apparent invader. The pilot threw up his hands over his eyes and cursed as the truck he had been approaching suddenly exploded. After a few moments of shaking, all was still... the truck now a grey smear. "Base," he said, feeling weary, "I think we have a problem."

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Next time: As Neo-America's qualification trials loom in the near future, the question of WHO will be Neo-America's brightest star suddenly burns far brighter. Meanwhile, the rest of the colonies prepare for the first Gundam Fight after the devastating Dark Gundam, including the Shuffle Alliance! Which young hopefuls will represent their nations, and what old faces will be reappearing? 

  
  


Author's Notes: I really had to resist the temptation to set it up as Stalker.. but that doesn't work in prose format. There's going to be a few original characters in here, starting next chapter, but I suppose it goes with the territory. It's the 14th fight, and there's been four years to improve technology, so expect more old faces than old Gundams. The first of which was actually Maxter, actually Maxter II. This is a new Gundam based on the old design to a great degree... but with a few mild upgrades thrown in. (Better servos for faster movements, a bit better ammo capacity, etc.) Note I'm going dub here, and I apologize if anyone has a problem with that. 

  
  


Please remember to send any comments you might have my way, I always appreciate well thought-out critiques, either positive or negative.

  
  


Oh! And don't worry about Chibodee. He's a Shuffle Alliance member... he's not going to stay down for too long. ^_^ 


	2. Ante Up

G-Gundam: New Deals

  
  


Ante up. 

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam, be it alternate universe, universal century, or model kits. Bandai has the American release rights...

  
  


by Tremor3258

  
  


***************

  
  


Once again, a day dawned within Neo America, thanks to the carefully calculated slow rotation of the colony. Down a relatively quiet urban street, a man in his early twenties took the opportunity to check his bearings. "Well... now that I can see, I'm SURE I'm lost," Trenton Wage remarked. Blond hair and blue eyes helped frame a handsome visage, and the patches on the long overcoat he wore indicated he was in Neo-America's Defense Corps Reserve. The caduceus necklace he wore was a tribute to his area of study, the field of medicine.

  
  


"You leave the old neighborhood for a few years... and they rebuild everything!" Wage remarked to himself, looking around. The area was mainly several-story apartment buildings, and the streets were still deserted at the early hour. "Four hundred million people on board... and not one around to ask for directions," he sighed. 

  
  


Trenton looked at his map, one he'd, foolishly, decided was good enough not to bother with the expense of buying a new one. Trenton slapped his forehead with one hand. "Duh," he said morosely, "Everyone everywhere is busy trying to pave over the damage from the Dark Gundam. I guess I should be glad I managed to find the city!" Trenton reslung his duffle, and started marching resolutely down a street, before catching himself and walking briskly. "Still, I've only got two weeks for this vacation before everyone gets called up for the Gundam Fight. I promised I'm not going to waste them... and if it means calling home and being laughed at, so be it!" 

  
  


Trenton's search for a pay phone didn't even last until the next intersection, instead the young medic ran into a gaggle of children, charging across his line of travel. "They're up early," he commented, before realizing they were probably local. "Hey kids!" he shouted, "Do any of you know the way to 4 Block D, Apple Drive?" 

  
  


The children stopped, and whispered among themselves for a moment. All Trenton could catch was "Apple". Then, eerily, they all turned and stared at it for a moment. Trenton, involuntarily, took a step backwards under the combined force. One child pushed himself free of the crowd, the evident leader, though he couldn't be more than eight.

  
  


"Sir, do you know a man named John Garrison then?" the young one asked.

  
  


Trenton blinked in surprise, and replied, "I should. He's one of my neighbors, worked as an architect, mainly, did some other neat tricks at picnics and the like. Why? He's not hurt or anything, is he? Or are we close to the street?" he asked, bending down to be closer to their eye level. 

  
  


The child, however, merely turned and looked at the others. Now that they were still, Trenton could count heads and determine there was an even dozen of the grade-scholars. One more hushed discussion later, the leader turned to him again and asked, "Are you here to help get our park back, then?" 

  
  


Trenton blinked in confusion, before a kid in the middle of the horde called out, "Better bring him along, anyway, Timmy. I bet they'll fight fair if there's an adult present." Various agreements were murmured in high-pitched voices.

  
  


"Adult? I'm 22!" Trenton insisted, and then the responsible part of his brain kicked in. "Wait a minute? Fight?" A few more memories, dim after six years of various colleges and work, came to the fore, of what his old neighbor did. "I remember now! He ran a fighting school on the side! Is Mr. Garrison running an exhibition or something?" Trenton grinned, and shrugged. "Why not? Maybe he'll help me find my way out of this labyrinth. Lead on, kids!" he ordered, and followed the gaggle through the awakening streets.

  
  


***************

  
  


On the other side of the colonies, others were receiving necessary intelligence as well. In the Neo-Russian defense complex, a young recruit's hand shook as he pressed an intercom button next to a door simply marked 'Gym'. "Lieutenant Gulskii?" he asked, voice cracking. "We've received an intelligence report on one of the critical subjects." 

  
  


There was a moment of tense silence, before a sharp female voice demanded, "Bring them in, then, soldier!" Gulping the orderly moved into the large room, equipped with a large variety of physical training equipment. In the center of the room, one of the largest men the soldier had ever seen was lifting weights, an attractive, though severely dressed women counting off repetitions to the side. 

  
  


Argo paused, seeing the soldier, and nodded equitably as Natasha took the missives and began to read them. Lions den entered and being not yet eaten, the soldier now escaped the way he had come. Dropping into Natasha's sphere of influence wasn't always the most pleasant of experiences, and it was generally good to leave before she found something for you to do. 

  
  


"They're more scared of you than of me, you know," Natasha noted, flipping through the intelligence gathered on other Gundams.

  
  


"Am I that easy to read?" Argo asked, more reflexively than out of surprise as he dropped the weights on their rack and sat up. More comfortable, he asked of genuine curiosity, "How is it I've managed to beat you in being frightening?"

  
  


Natasha grinned, and sat down on the bench, Argo shifting around to make room for her. The Neo-Russian controller poked her husband in his chest, Argo letting out a mock off. "Simple," she stated, "You may think you've softened up a bit with marriage... but you've still got your reputation, you old pirate, and you look the part." 

  
  


Argo nodded at that. Life was a lot more comfortable in the last few years than he'd ever had it, but decades of rough living out on the edges of civilization could not be erased from one's face once set, giving him a bit of an evil look. Argo motioned for Natasha to get off the bench as he went back to his repetitions. "Anyone I should look out for on Earth?" Argo asked casually as he lifted the titanic weights.

  
  


"Well, nothing beyond what we were expecting," Natasha said, paging through the document. "We've gotten at least hazy pictures of most of the other Gundams already. As for the Shuffles-" Natasha's voice trailed off as her face lost color. Argo stood up, heaving the bar out of the way as he rushed to his wife's side. Wordlessly, Natasha passed the pad over, which Argo read silently, before tossing the pad down and moving towards the entrance.

  
  


"Argo!" cried Natasha as she moved to follow him, placing her hand on his shoulder in a calming gesture. Argo knocked it aside.

  
  


"Chibodee has been attacked, and I must ensure the perpetrators will pay for this crime!" he vowed, marching towards the door

  
  


"Argo!" Natasha said, in her best commanding tone, causing the massive Gundam Fighter to freeze. "How do you expect to do that? Neo-America will not let the Neo-Russian Gundam Fighter anywhere near the colony currently." Natasha sighed, and picked up the datapad from where it had skittered, pressing it into Argo's palm. "Read the rest of it: Neo-America believes one of his rivals in the ring is responsible. He should make a full recovery, and if you do this now.. there's no way, even if I called in all the favors I'm owed, could keep you your Fighter position."

  
  


Argo slumped, the mighty fighter struck in his soul. "Fine," he rumbled, "But there's no way you can keep me from tracking down whatever coward becomes Neo-America's Gundam Fighter and smashing them to dust!" he warned.

  
  


"Of course not," said Natasha, seeming hurt, "That's the whole point, Argo!"

  
  


Argo blinked once, thinking about his last statement, and started to laugh, deep in his throat. A few moments later, the laughter subsided. Argo slammed his fists together once, and went back to his training, filled with grim determination.

  
  


***************

  
  


Meanwhile, Trenton and the group of children entered a block-sized urban park. Moving quickly through the trees, Trenton spotted a playground set in its center. A swing set and a small slide flanked an imposing and labyrinthine set of brightly colored pipes making up what looked like some highly complex climbing equipment. With the canopy blocking his vision to a degree... Trenton could see someone standing on top of the structure, but couldn't make anything out... though he thought the legs didn't look stocky enough for the man he remembered before heading off to the military.

Trenton shielded his eyes as the group moved out from under the canopy. As his eyes cleared, and he was able to see the top of the climbing set, his mouth dropped open. The figure was DEFINITELY not Mr. Garrison. For one thing, it was a she, and relatively young, probably in her twenties. The female's back was to them, wearing jeans and a denim jacket, color matching shoulder-length, flat-lying hair. Despite the fairly restrictive clothing, she was standing as casually on the twenty centimeter-wide pole as if she was on the ground. 

  
  


Trenton noted, "Kids, I'm trying to find my house.. not a martial artist" The young woman turned around at that. Eyes widening in surprise, she leapt from the pole, and hit the ground running. Looking confrontational, she stopped in front of the group, hands on hips. Trenton revised his age estimate down slightly upon looking at her. She couldn't be more than twenty or so.

  
  


"Kids! What are you doing here?" she demanded. "This is a serious situation... not some show. I thought you had the discipline to stay away from anything this crazy." The girl looked towards Trenton, opened her mouth, and then closed it, before repeating the activity several more times. Trenton followed her gaze, and nodded in understanding. He was probably about to be yelled at, but then she was stopped by his military insignia. Trenton was glad to see something good about the military having the only decent medical schools, for once.

  
  


The kids took the opportunity to break into the false starts. "But Megan!" the leader declared, "He's looking for your teacher, so we thought he was an old student or something." 

  
  


Trenton mused to himself, "Really? I don't remember Mr. Garrison teaching martial arts." 

  
  


"It was more of a side-line at that point," Megan muttered, "And he doesn't like to show off." Gathering her focus again, Megan spitted the leader with a glare, "And I'm not showing off here either, Tony. This is deadly serious. You asked me here, so we handle this my way, all right?"

  
  


Tony looked worried, and then nodded vigorously. Megan smiled slightly, before looking up at Trenton, "We'll talk more later about you being around," she said quickly, "But can you watch and make sure the kids don't do anything?"

  
  


"Um.. sure, I guess," Trenton stammered. "What's up?" Wordlessly, the blue-haired woman pulled a small cylinder from her pocket and tossed it to Trenton, who lunged and grabbed it from the air. Apparently feeling her explanation done, Megan reached down and picked up a meter-long thin branch in the area, before jumping back up to her position on the climbing equipment.

  
  


Trenton studied the cylinder. It was clearly a bottle for some sort of medicine, but it took several seconds for Trenton to place the name of the chemical. Once he did, dimly remembering it on long lists of artificial hormones memorized early on, his face creased into a frown. While not technically illegal, the compound that had been in the bottle, if the labeling was correct, was one of the more addictive forms of stimulants, though lower on tissue damage on most. Some colonies used it for their space superiority fighter pilots, so the Colony Federation had never gotten it successfully banned. 

  
  


Trenton opened his mouth to ask, but closed it when he saw several men, wearing casual clothes and backpacks, but seeming uncomfortable about it, like they'd rather be wearing suits and carrying violin cases. The biggest of the bunch held up his hands, stopping the five or so when they saw Megan standing on the pole, who merely crossed her arms in reply.

  
  


"Ms. Asters, I admit, I'm rather surprised you decided to show up again after yesterday," said the thug, in a surprisingly cultured voice.

  
  


"Mr. Groat," Megan said neutrally, "I'm rather surprised you decided to try and do business here again as well." 

  
  


The man shrugged, "Why not? This place has been quite profitable over the last week, and, according to the government, I have every legal right to hawk my educational boosters here." Groat smiled, or, when Trenton thought more about it, he bared his teeth. "Lucky for me, and I anticipate much in the way of repeat business."

  
  


Megan tensed slightly, shifting her grip on the branch so she held it more like a staff. "You'll also note," she said calmly, "That I have every legal right to simply stand in between you and any of your customers." 

  
  


"True," Groat acknowledged, "But.." he looked around, "I note there's only one of you. As well as no cops... I believe my managers can forgive the slight and occasional transgression outside the law." 

  
  


Megan blinked in surprise, "You're actually going to fight, instead of just heading for safer pastures?" Megan grinned as she shifted her weapon to a guard position, and said, "I may have to upgrade my opinion of you." A soft breeze began to blow through the area as tension built.

  
  


"Bravado is such a symptom of youth," Groat sniffed, "My employers have your file, Ms. Asters. You're no King of Hearts," he warned, and Megan saluted with her switch, conceding the point, before closing her eyes and settling back to guard. The thug grinned ferally, "Besides, running away sets a dangerous precedent. Boys?" he commanded, pointing at her. The four other thugs launched themselves forward.

  
  


Trenton started to wade through the children as the thugs attacked. He wasn't a incredibly skilled martial artist who'd been training forever, but he had completed the Army training courses on self-defense. Trenton, however, found his arm being held by Tony. Looking at the boy questioningly, the eight-year-old merely shook his head and pointed back at the action. Trenton, closing his jacket as the wind picked up, watched as the thugs began climbing the playground equipment.

  
  


The branch Megan was using as a make-shift staff began to vibrate in the increasing gale, and Megan opened her eyes, leaning back as she threw the staff overhand like a javelin, the winds seemed to catch it as it left her hand, causing it to hurl itself forward. Megan's arms windmilled for a moment as she centered herself again on the pole. The thugs paused in confusion as the woman aimed nowhere near them. A grunt behind them made them realize the real target, as Groat hit the ground, clutching his stomach. The shattered branch fell around him, broken by the force it had been imbued with. The thugs jumped off the climber, heading over to their boss. 

  
  


"Don't worry about me! Get her!" Groat wheezed. The four turned around, raising up their fists. Megan stared at them, a bit incredulous.

  
  


"Didn't get the hint the first time?" Megan huffed. She pulled herself, a little shakily, into an attack stance. "Well, I guess if you stick around there's more chance of the cops finding something to put you away for, since you made it difficult by not bringing guns!" she noted with forcible cheer. The thugs looked at her, and Megan said cheerfully, "What, you think I'm crazy enough to take on five grown men by myself? The cops got a quick tip... I'm sure they'll find something to put you away for. My job's just to make sure you STAY!" she yelled, jumping off the pole with the last exclamation. She landed in front of the second thug from the right, dropping into a crouch as she landed.

  
  


The goon launched a punch as soon as he saw her apparently in range, but whiffed overhead as she ducked. Megan shot her arms up, grabbing onto the thug's arm, and then rolling backwards. The remnants of the man's momentum, combined with her's, tossed the man into the air. His sudden yell of panic was cut short as he smacked face-first into the climber. 

  
  


Megan rose smoothly to her feet, but didn't have time to reset herself as all three rushed her at once. Allowing herself a quick yelp in surprise, Megan moved towards the thug who'd been by his lonesome to the right of the Chief Goon, moving into a spin crescent kick that connected with his head. Megan used the temporary daze to get in a foot sweep, dropping him to the ground and leaving him out of it for the moment. The kids cheered as Goon Number 2 went down. Megan spitted them momentarily with a glare before she was caught up in the action again.

  
  


Goons 3 and 4 came in swinging, covering each other's flanks. Megan blocked the first round, sidestepping and delivering a few knife-hand blows to the upper arm of Goon 3. Gasping, he grasped it reflexively, and Megan moved in for a judo throw, but a right cross from 4 forced her to dance backwards, and move back to parrying.

  
  


Tony and the other kids watched in awe, caught too much up in Megan's ballet of fighting. It was no Gundam Fight, but it could have come out of one of Neo Hong Kong's movies, except that the goons weren't attacking one at a time. 

  
  


Trenton, however, wasn't quite so enamored of violence. Even his untrained eye could see she wasn't trained to handle multiple opponents. Worse yet, the trick she'd pulled against the leader had worn her out, or he'd eat his medical degree. Trenton pushed through the enthralled children, ready to end this before someone got seriously hurt, before his eyes caught movement on the ground. Trenton started to run, neglecting to even take off the bag on his shoulder.

  
  


Goon 2, having been dropped but not hard enough, had managed to gather his few wits again. He wasn't ready to stand up again, but though his vision was blurry, he could see the punk girl who had hit him being forced his way by his co-workers, though, judging by the moans, they were paying for it. Reaching into his back pocket, he drew his switchblade and flicked it open, readying to lance out, pausing as Megan rushed forward suddenly, using the surprise to box Goon 3's ears and drop him.

  
  


Megan's final opponent's face was starting to go puffy, and the young fighter was sure she'd heard at least a few bones crack. Still, he were grinning for some reason and didn't look ready to give up. Her arms were about ready to fall limp after blocking the combined assault, and her bag of tricks was running low."This is taking too long," she wheezed, sidestepping a punch designed to drive her sternum through her spine, and making Goon 4 pay with another quick shot to his ribs. Finally, the pain messages caught up to his brain, and he was forced to stumble. Megan, rather than something fancy, stomped on his foot. Yelping, he started to hop, before the bizarre sight of a two-hundred pound linebacker-lookalike half-skipping was mercifully cut short by an axe kick. 

  
  


Megan slumped, supporting herself with hands on her knees as she wiped sweat from her face. "Okay... there's the drug pusher," she noted after she got some of her breath back, "And one, two, and three goons," she tallied, and paused, before turning to the kids and asking, "Hey, Tony! Where'd the last of the legitimate businessman's club sneak off to?"

  
  


"Behind you!" Trenton shouted. Megan whirled towards her back and scooted to the side, feeling something icy touch her side below her ribs. The knife came back into view, having managed to slip in through the open front of her jacket. Megan tried to kick the knife out of the goon's hand, but her body didn't quite seem interested in responding yet, before the knife dropped from the man's suddenly nerveless hands, which then hit the ground. 

  
  


Surprised, Megan shifted her gaze up from where the knife had been to the rest of the goon. Clutching her side, she found herself completely unable to reply as Trenton jumped up and down on the goon's back enthusiastically, his duffel resting on the goon's head. Voice croaking a little at first, she said, feeling spent, "I think you beat him." 

  
  


Trenton blinked, and then moved off the battered man's body. He looked at Megan, surprised that he could see clearly over her head now that she was standing still. More importantly, the side of her jean jacket was starting to be tinged red. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the wail of sirens in the distance.

  
  


Megan's face, a bit pale, went white, "Oh, now the cops show up! I really don't need this... I'm going to be in so much trouble!" she moaned. She twirled, and then grunted as the wound cut through her panic. "Tony," she gasped, "If the cops ask: what happened here?"

  
  


"Big burly men we've never seen before beating up on other bad burly men?" Tony said, evidently from rote. 

  
  


Megan flashed a quick smile, "Good boy. I'll see you at class tonight! Now scoot!" she commanded with false cheer, managing a quick wave. The kids broke ranks and scattered. After they disappeared, Megan slumped down, now clearly favoring her side.

  
  


"Here, I'm a doctor," Trenton said, reaching out. "Let me take a look at that." Megan shifted back from him.

  
  


"Not here, Trenton," Megan grunted, "Let me get out of here. I've got enough of a history that wasn't sealed at eighteen to make sure the cops would not appreciate me handing out beatings, and then when my father gets me...." The young woman trailed off, but apparently was spurred enough by the internal end of the sentence to start limping forward. Trenton picked up his bag and moved to support her, not wanting to just see an injured person leave. Megan leaned against him, as, at less than five and a half, the balance didn't work out for the six foot Trenton to hold her shoulders.

  
  


"How'd you know my name?" Trenton asked, trying to help her move. The lady had done a major service to the community, and she was right that sticking around for questioning probably wouldn't be healthy in her condition.

  
  


"You don't remember me? Thank god!" Megan said fervently. Trenton blinked, and Megan laughed weakly, "Well, you're taller, but your face looks the same from before you left, and it looks like you passed your studies. John will be glad. He always held you as an example I needed to shape up to." Megan's head drooped slightly, worn out from the quick sentences, but she pointed, "Once we get out of the park, take a right and head into the café. They're not open yet, but the owner's a friend of Dad. He let me store some spare clothes and bandages there this morning." 

  
  


Trenton nodded, and said, "Stay quiet for right now... I've got a medical kit myself but it'd be better to clean that off where there's somewhere with water." Megan nodded, focusing on staying awake until the two reached the shop. Trenton banged on the door, and a heavyset man in what was probably his late thirties came to the door, looking irritated.

  
  


"We're closed-" he said to Trenton, before spotting Megan. "Oh no! What happened?" Trenton started to open his mouth to reply, but the echoing, steadily louder sirens caught the man's attention. "Bring her into the back.. I'll get some coffee going," the man stated moving to help take the load. Trenton nodded his thanks as they went into the coffee shop.

  
  


**********

  
  


Fifteen minutes later, Megan's light wound was bandaged and had stopped bleeding, and she had switched to a level of clothing that seemed more school-appropriate. The three were now drinking some of the owner's coffee. The man, Mr. Drake, had reported the parade of police cars had ended, but that it probably wasn't wise to head out quite yet. Megan, having been mainly silent while being bandaged, now had some color back in her cheeks and placed the cup down. Trenton, thankfully, mirrored the move, as the coffee had been brewed strong enough to burn Gundam armor.

  
  


"Thanks for your help, Mr. Drake," Megan said politely, "That didn't go quite as well as I hoped," she admitted. 

  
  


"Oh, it's nothing, Megan," the owner assured her, polishing some salt shakers in preparation for opening. "I hadn't heard but rumors about Groat moving into this area... and it'll be a while before they try anything again, since they were defeated by an eighteen year old."

  
  


"I had some help," Megan corrected, and held her hand out. "I really haven't been able to thank you properly, Trenton, both for the help with my wound and in the fight."

  
  


Trenton shook, but reminded her, "I'd still like to know how you know so much about me. I'm not even sure which part of the colony I'm in, but I know I haven't been over on this side for six years! I wandered over because I heard that my old neighbor would be involved, but you're not John. Are you one of his students?" Mr. Drake snorted lightly, but Megan nodded. 

  
  


"Yes, thankfully... though it's also a bit unofficial as well, considering I'm his daughter," Megan reported, and, when Trenton opened his mouth, Megan continued, "Yeah, you're right not remembering a wife. She died in the riots of 53, after all the problems the colonies had after the Eleventh Fight. I lost my parents, and got bounced around until John took me." 

  
  


Megan stared at him quizzically for a moment before asking, "Are you sure you don't remember me? Your parents used to volunteer you to look after me when they got irritated with you." Megan laughed and looked up at the ceiling before continuing, shaking her head, "I can't believe how much I enjoyed causing trouble for people. If John hadn't show me the way, I'd probably be out there pushing pills to kids myself now, or worse," she reflected, shuddering slightly.

  
  


Trenton snapped his fingers. "Now I remember! The worm of Apple Drive." Megan winced, and then glared at Mr. Drake, who was laughing so hard he nearly dropped the shaker he was polishing. Trenton studied her, "There's definitely a resemblance, especially when you were angry. Well, you're a little taller, and your hair was black then," Trenton's mouth twitched slightly into a grin.

  
  


Megan pointed a threatening finger at him, the other hand grasping a lock of hair, and said, "I'll have you know this ISN'T some sort of fan worship, it's actually my natural color. Something in the family because of the pollution before the colonies rose. You're a doctor," she chided, "I'm sure you know more about it than me." 

  
  


Trenton nodded in agreement. Oddly colored hair was one of the less damaging mutations that had arisen on the battered planet in the first years of the Future Century, and also one of the more successful. He asked, "So, are we actually near Apple Drive?" 

  
  


Megan shook her head, "No, this is close to Dad's training school. A lot of those kids take classes, and I usually stop by for early-training before classes, so I was hoping I could deal with the problem without anyone getting involved, because John hates it when I get into brawls, so I try to not let him worry about this sort of thing."

Trenton nodded. "Relax, your secret's safe, though can I ask a favor in return?" he asked hesitantly.

  
  


Megan mirrored her old neighbor's nod. "Naturally. I owe you quite a bit," she stated.

  
  


Trenton said weakly, "How do you get to the neighborhood from here?" Megan looked at him for a moment, and then started to chuckle, dissolving into helpless laughter and falling out of her chair. Trenton and the shop owner followed her descent, before a hand, still trembling as she quaked with laughter, held itself in the air, signaling that no assistance was required. After a few seconds, it grasped the table, joined by its mate, before Megan hauled herself back into her seat. 

  
  


After a few sips of coffee to help her contain the giggles, she said. "I don't think that quite makes us even, but yes, yes I can."

  
  


*************

  
  


One of the tricks that most schools had either developed, earned, copied, or stolen was the ability to quickly recover from blows. An hour after the fight, to Trenton's eyes, she was fully recovered, and was helping out a little with the shop after it opened. The cops had apparently moved on, deciding to let the mysterious do-gooders be for the time being. The two took the short walk in silence, alert for any friends of those they had taken down, in what seemed to Trenton almost another life time ago. 

  
  


"That's odd," Megan murmured, breaking the silence when they reached the station. Trenton looked at her, and Megan explained, "There aren't usually soldiers stationed here... and even the qualifiers don't start for a few weeks. We're no where near the Gundam labs, either, so I doubt the security is to improve the sector's image," she said, scorn in her voice for a moment, before asking aloud, I wonder what happened?"

  
  


"Well, they could be moving a Gundam through this area?" Trenton mused, and then was surprised to find himself walking alone. 

  
  


"I seriously doubt it!" Megan said adamantly, "You can't bring Gundams along passenger lines safely, and this IS a private sector of the colony." Trenton stared at her, and Megan blushed slightly, explaining, "Well, I've memorized most of the Gundam regulations."

  
  


Trenton chuckled to himself. Not too loudly, of course. The girl, basically, next to him had casually taken out several men who probably could lift him with one hand. "Training to be a Gundam Fighter?" he asked. Megan looked at him, a tad shocked, and Trenton chuckled. "Oh, come on!" he started to laugh. "You're a martial artist with some talent. It's expected!"

  
  


Megan grimaced slightly, "Well, yes, I've done some work now and then, but it's only to get familiarized with a Gundam's systems. I'm not totally crazy. Chibodee Crocket is a member of the Shuffle Alliance, has years of experience in a Gundam, and has mastered his own potential. I haven't finished mastering the first energy technique of John's Cyclone school." Megan admitted/

  
  


"That wind thing?" Trenton asked, "It seemed to work out pretty well."

  
  


Megan sighed, suddenly looking haggard as her defenses slipped. "That left my reserves almost totally drained," she admitted, "And if I was actually in BALANCE!" Megan angrily scuffed her foot against the ground, "all it would take would be a nudge from me." 

  
  


Trenton nodded, "Yeah. I could see what you were doing. It's about using the other people's momentum, right?"

  
  


Megan nodded, impressed, "Not many people catch it that quickly. It works pretty well for me, because I just don't have the upper body muscle to grapple against male fighters," she said matter-of-factly. Trenton nodded. She was, quite simply a petite build. Megan sighed and looked down, and said, ashamed, "And the control aspect helps me out too. But I'm still hoping for next tournament!" she finished more cheerfully and flashing a victory sign. Megan explained, "Chibodee may show you can crawl your way out of the gutters... but they're still there. I've seen a LOT worse than what they were peddling this morning... and it'd be nice to see a woman in the tournament for once." 

  
  


Trenton grinned slightly, "Well, as a guy, yes more women in the tournament would be-" Megan looked at him funny, and Trenton changed the subject, "Well, we're almost to the tram station! What train do we want?" 

  
  


"Three," Megan, said a bit icily. 

  
  


"Relax," Trenton said, trying to appease her, "I'm sure Mr. Crocket won't be around after this fight. You'll have a chance for you at the next fight."

  
  


"You think so?" she said hopefully as they showed Ids to the soldiers. "Well, I'm going to try to make a good showing this qualification anyway. My dad recommended me to some people in defense, so I'll be able to pilot a Gundam in battle, even if Chibodee's a little much for me. Next time I may be able to win some championships and attract some serious private sector attention!"

  
  


The soldier who swiped their identification cards looked at them, shocked. "Haven't you heard, doctor?" the private asked. Trenton blinked twice, confused. The soldier explained, "There was an attack last night... Chibodee is in a coma. The whole colony's in the midst of lockdown, sir."

  
  


Megan blinked, and then blinked again, paused. Trenton, mouth dropped in shock, looked at her. She shrugged, "I don't know whether to cry... or scream with joy." 

  
  


To be continued....

  
  


Author's Notes. Here we go. A more ordinary fighter to see how most people look upon the giants of the FC battle field. Hence, most of this is introduction, but the Shuffles will feature far more prominently next time, don't worry. Megan is an example of a more ordinary Gundam fighter hopeful.... though she's not exactly Neo-America's fighter yet...

  
  


Please send me reviews, positive or negative!


	3. Redraw

G-Gundam: New Deals

  
  


Re-draw

  
  


Disclaimer: Let me check.... nope, still don't own Gundam. Bandai and Sunrise own the rights to Mobile Suit Gundam and all its myriad descendants, universal or otherwise century.

  
  


by Tremor3258

  
  


*************

  
  


"You know, I thought you'd be happier about this," Trenton commented, "I'm not up on everything with you martial artists, but this is THE tournament, and one of the highest honors a Colony Nation can offer." 

  
  


Megan shifted in her seat next to him on the intracolony rail line. The old stamina recovery tricks were helping, but her injured side was starting to become a nuisance, but it wouldn't do to break down and whine at this point

  
  


After getting a little more comfortable, she explained, "Partly it's because I'm still annoyed with myself at getting tagged like that, even if it was from behind." 

  
  


*And the rest of me is annoyed with myself for being annoyed,* she scolded herself. Still, there were plenty of old failures she had accounted for. *Might as well make the checklist complete,* she thought with a slight smile, mood improving as her energy continued to return. 

  
  


She sighed as she said,"I'm going to need to be centered when I meet John, or I'm going to have no chance of softening his reaction. He hates it when I go out on the street like this, and I don't know why. John goes, picks me out, shows me a path that won't end with me dead or wishing I was by the age I'm at now, and claims he wants me to inherit his teachings," Megan clenched her fists for a moment, focusing on breathing. More calmly, she finished, "But it seems he'd rather I leave the fighting skills at the door and just stand by passively." 

  
  


Trenton felt he'd hit a sore point, but didn't want to leave a bad impression just after meeting someone again, "Well, he's probably worried about you. How does he feel about the Gundam Fight? You said one of his friend's got you doing training work, right?"

  
  


"Well, I'm not sure if John ever was in a qualification trial, but he's always seemed really enthusiastic about the idea." she commented, "But then, the rules are designed to make it pretty close to a tournament, with not a lot of danger for the pilot. A lot more straightforward than a street fight." Megan grinned thinly, and continued, "Plus, Mr. Boll, the designer, was with the Department of Defense last Fight, and he really wanted to see if he could mimic the weaponry the other colonies unveiled last time around. So half the circuits are always melting down, he wasn't able to armor it right, so it can't survive combat for very long, but it did get Mr. Boll a grant for next time. He wants it in the qualification trials, but I haven't trained for a month while he tries to get it combat worthy." Megan shrugged.

  
  


Trenton nodded grimly, "I know about that. With Gundams being usually prototypes, there's always a case something weird happens. My unit's been busy learning how to deal with Minovsky radiation, fusion burns... neural feedback," Trenton winced. Gundam Fights were ugly, but then war was ALWAYS hell.

  
  


"To quote: Gundams and their pilots must both be strong," she recited. At Trenton's questioning gaze, she shrugged, "Don't ask me where it's from, I've heard John mention it once or twice. I would like to pilot one in battle, just once," her voice tinged with longing, "To see that opportunity for the perfect fight and reaching beyond yourself." 

  
  


The train pulled into a stop, and Megan grabbed Trenton before he could stand up. "Five more to go," she warned, and looked at him curiously. "What's the military doing for training now days, anyway? Memory wipes?" Trenton gave her a disgruntled look. He had his own views on the military, but schooling issues wasn't one of them. She backed down immediately, holding up her hands. "Sorry, I'm sure you've had a long day, and it's not that I'm grateful that time's dimmed thing somewhat, but why did you get off five minutes early?"

  
  


"They've had to rebuild half the colony after the Dark Gundam, remember?" he said, stiffly, "I was in medical school the whole time, so all the changes were a bit of a shock." Trenton grabbed his gear and trotted off the train.

  
  


"Oh," she said softly, and then, started running after him. "Hey wait!" she said, sounding alarmed. Trenton turned, looking in irritation at the street fighter.

  
  


"You're going the wrong way. Block D is NORTH of here!" she explained. Grabbing Trenton's arm again, Megan started forcibly leading the medical student in the correct direction. Trenton sighed and rolled his eyes, but allowed himself to be pulled.

  
  


************

  
  


The ripples of Chibodee's accident spread quickly throughout the solar system. A half-million miles away, the carefully designed morning serenity was shattered by one of the usual supsects. Sai Sici, heir to Shao Lin, Club Ace, Neo-China Gundam Fighter, and still short, was finding what should have been a peaceful morning jog down to train with a slightly modified Dragon Gundam interrupted quite rudely by the presence of a half-dozen martial artists, wearing the colors of the Chicoline temple. 

  
  


Sai sighed and crossed his arms behind his back, the very image of cocky indolence, though the pose was also helping him get his arm muscles nicely stretched. "I admire your persistence, guys, but six-on-one isn't going to convince the emperor to withdraw his favor from the Shaolin."

  
  


"You misunderstand, Lord Sici," reported the one in the middle. "They are only here to ensure we are not interrupted. I have the honor of your defeat today." 

  
  


Sai sighed and rolled his eyes before dropping into a loose stance. "All right, your hospital bills." 

  
  


With a loud battle cry, the enemy monk charged forward. Sai jumped up on a nearby light pole, and gave a cocky grin. After a moment, the monk leapt up to join him. "Hmm, not bad at all. You've been working out," he generously complimented before the two began to trade punches and kicks faster than the untrained eye could follow.

  
  


Sai's attention was drawn behind the lead monk as a morning newspaper truck rumbled into view at the next cross street. He couldn't quite make the characters out at this range, but there was an echo there, almost like the powers of the Shuffle Crest, but tinged with a sadness.

  
  


"An opening!" shouted Sai's opponent, driving his fist through a gap the lapse in Sai's cooperation had breeched through his defenses. More importantly, it quite rudely interrupted, in Sai's opinion, his thought process. Far faster than before, Sai's hand shifted and grabbed the Chicoline master's fist, catching it in mid-punch. Shocked, the master allowed them to settle to the ground, looking in fear at the sudden mastery displayed, for now, gleaming brightly, shined the crest of the Club Ace. 

  
  


"Sorry, but there's something more important I have to do than spar with you right now," Sai said, voice filled with a deep eternal calm. The ensnared master looked into Sai's eyes, and whimpered at the fighting spirit glowing within. "Sleep on that, will you?" Sai said calmly, before twisting the Chicoline's arm behind his back, allowing Sai to deliver a quick blow to the back of the head, taking the master out.

  
  


"Yup, you're still exactly one hundred years too early to beat me," Sai said, laughter in his voice as his aura faded away. He started striding down the street towards the newspapers. The line of Chicoline students blocking his path melted away as they ran for the sidewalks, not meeting Sai's eyes. Their posture clearly showed they all had realized they had very important things to do, and were in a hurry to find out what those important things were.

  
  


Shaking his head in mock sadness at his enemies' flight, Sai trotted down the street, whistling slightly as he reached the newspaper stand, and could finally read the headline. "This can't be right!" Sai demanded of the fates. "Chibodee's WAY too stubborn to get knocked out by some accident!" 

  
  


"Master Sici!" echoed a voice down the street, before Sai's two guardians skidded around the corner, not wasting time to decelerate. "Master Sici!" they said in unison again after stopping in front of the diminutive Shao Lin leader, panting a bit from the exertion. "Master Sici-" Keoi, the shorter of the two monks said for a third time, drawing a smirk from Sai, despite the situation. "We have just heard the news. Are you all right?" the elderly monk said, observing Sai's dirty lcothes.

  
  


Sai nodded. One of the nicer things about growing up was that old geezers started to assume you knew what was going on. "I'm fine right now. Usual Chicoline pestering this morning." Sai pointed at the headline and continued, "Still, I think we're safer than bro is with the Imperial Gundam stored on the temple grounds. It's a lot safer than in some factory warehouse."

  
  


"Indeed," said Zuisen, the taller of the pair. "Mister Crockett was unwise to rely so much upon his own strengths alnoe. You must remember, Master Sici, that the Gundam Fight is much different than the politics that surround it." 

  
  


Sai sighed. Then there were the other sort of adults, who needed to impart a morale in everything. "Yes, I know about that. Neo-Japan doesn't have the credability to redraft the Gundam Fight regulations, so any solution to its problem will have to come from the Fighters," Sai intoned. After a moment, he grinned, and asked, "Any word yet on Domon's reaction? He's probably ready to tear in there right now and start knocking heads."

  
  


"That is... probably correct," Keoi admitted, "But we did not spend the time speaking with the Emperor's intelligence advisors. He invited you and your Gundam to the Winter Palace to continue your training before the Fight, as a sign of his respect to you."

  
  


Sai stiffened. Such invitations to the Emperor's private residence were practically nonexistent to anyone outside the royal family, thanks to the massive security around the Emperor's heirs Even after the last Gundam fight, Sai had only seen the public residence of His Majesty. "It's so bad they want me locked out of sight, huh?" he said quietly after a bit.

  
  


"Yes," Zuisen said grimly, "Everyone is in a panic, and His Excellency wishes to take some quiet steps while others investigate."

  
  


"Do not worry, Master Sici, we will maintain the temple in your absence," Keoi promised. Zuisen nodded his agreement.

  
  


"All right. Let's go gather the Gundam and my things. I suppose beating up the Imperial Royal Guard is better training than the Chicolines anyway," Sai said with forced optimism. His efforts were rewarded with a few polite chuckles and knowing grins, which did help dispel the dark atmosphere of the meeting. The trio headed off down the street at a quick walk, not noticing the quick flash of an optic sensor and shimmer as a cloaked mobile suit began trudging off for parts unknown.

  
  


*************

"So, what style does your father teach, anyway?" Trenton asked to make conversation with the two stuck at a crossing two blocks from their respective homes. Megan had let go of Trenton's arm, feeling he probably wouldn't wander off on his own.

"Hmm?" Megan said, taking her eyes off the light. After a moment's thought, she explained, "Mainly Tae Kwon Do to the students, though he likes to throw in a lot of the defensive stuff like aikido. The advanced stuff, for people like me," she flashed a quick grin, "is pretty philosophical, as usual. Finding and directly the flow of energy through battle.." she trailed off, and finished more quietly, "That's harder to explain without a couple years training. I guess, basically, it's a lot on countering. I mean, the stuff I do, with the wind maneuvers and the super-jumps, takes a few years of training to get the fundamentals. After that, you can start developing the really cool moves with projection." 

  
  


Trenton looked at her, curious. Megan shrugged and closed her eyes. Trenton got a feeling of presence radiating from her for a moment before she flicked her finger, making a slight breeze. "That wasn't too impressive," she said critically as she opened her eyes, "But I gotta save my strength. John's probably going to have a quick 'lesson' for me when I get back." Megan leaned down, touching her toes as she began limbering up.

  
  


The light changed shortly thereafter, and the two began walking, Megan rotating her arms in circles as the two walked. Trenton sighed. "I don't think I am ever going to understand serious martial artists. It seems such a waste to use your talents to just try and bash each other's brains in."

  
  


"Hey, I'm not planning for this to be my whole life," Megan said irritably, mouth clicking shut. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice slightly cracked as she strove for calm, "But I can tell you it's not something that can really be explained with words. I'm good, but there's a quality... I've seen it when John's training now and then. Just something powerful and greater than yourself that can touch you when you're eyes are truly on victory," she finished wistfully. Trenton rolled his eyes again. 

  
  


"Mock it if you must... but right now I'm at a plateau. I can feel it," she said despondently, "I don't want to battle my whole life, but I'm not planning on stopping for now. I can do better than this, and if I can touch that true fight, then I'll be satisfied." Megan sighed.

  
  


"That was rather deep," said Trenton slowly, before picking up speed and teasing, "I can't believe this is the same girl who tried to beat me silly with a shinai when my parents made me babysit!" Trenton stopped, "Of course, sometimes you would just try to escape." 

  
  


Megan groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I'm so embarrassed. I was such a young punk back then!"

  
  


"So now you thrash criminals, huh?" Trenton said lightly.

  
  


"Watch it, buddy. You're forgetting I usually DID manage to sneak out to the dojo, and I could take you down," Megan growled jokingly, before stiffening. A moment later, the wind picked up, carrying a voice, seemingly from nowhere.

  
  


"HAH! Those who would use the arts of fighting upon their own country's military are not deserving of their talents!" roared a voice. Out from a tree farther down the block jumped a tall, heavily built man who landed lightly in a fighting stance. His eyes gleamed, despite the sun being behind him. "Prepare your-" The figure broke off, and resumed more calmly, "Oh, Megan. I didn't know you were going into the city with a friend. Glad to see you're discovering romance though."

  
  


Megan groaned and stared up at the sky, and pleaded, "Please, God, just kill me now!"

  
  


Trenton shook his head and stepped forward. "Mr... Garrison, yes? I'm Trenton Wage. My parents live two doors down?" Trenton gasped as John rushed forward with a cry of delight, sweeping him into a bear hug, and spinning him around once in the air before setting him down. 

  
  


Trenton, once he got his breath back, got a chance to examine his parent's old friend. He was much as he remembered. John was still a VERY tall and muscular man, though there was some salt-and-pepper showing in the red hair and beard as aging began to catch up with him. Still, his green eyes still shone with the old irrepressible energy. 

  
  


John boomed again, "Trenton, dear boy! Look at you! You've grown so much! Your parents won't recognize you either!" John turned a withering glare Megan, who had watched Trenton suffer one of her adoptive father's bear hugs with amusement. "Sorry your first introduction was this troublemaker." Megan had the presence to look affronted. "Don't try it, kiddo," John said with amusement, "Mr. Drake blabbed." Megan grimaced.

  
  


Trenton felt the need to get involved. "Mr. Garrison, she wasn't involved in just beating people up. She was trying to help out some kids in the city!"

  
  


"Yes," said John, with real anger in his voice, "She was. I also know she got sliced up under that jacket of hers." Megan pulled it a bit tighter around her shoulders defensively. "Megan I've spent years working to try and install some logic into you and you rush off like some vigilante? What makes you think you have the skills to take on mob goons? You know your reserves aren't that great!" 

  
  


Megan's eyes narrowed. "I think I had the situation in hand. The only way I'm going to learn how to focus energy is in a real fight situation. If you let me carry the school's banner into some tournaments than maybe I'd have the stamina to pull off more than one Hurricane Slice!" 

  
  


John's eyes widened in shock, "You mean you pulled it off?" he whispered.

  
  


Megan nodded firmly, "Of course, I train on my own, too! You think I just try and learn how to surprise you from you?" she scolded, " I think I've almost got all the bugs worked out of it. And even if Trenton hadn't been there, I've got this illusion technique that works for a couple of sec-" Megan winced, "Hadn't meant to tell you about that yet."

  
  


Trenton was quite pleased to see the matters turn from private family squabbles and was willing to reenter the conversation to keep it that way. "I thought you said you only had one technique of the school figured out?"

  
  


"That's right!" Megan sing-songed smugly. "Girl's gotta have secrets! This is an Asters original, buddy!" She deflated a little and admitted, "Well, how I got it working is. It's not exactly the first of its kind out there, naturally."

  
  


John interrupted, demanding and sounding harassed, "You're figuring out the energy techniques already?"

  
  


"Yeah," Megan said, a little confused, "I mean, we've been working on the basics for a while, and you showed me the Hurricane Cut move, so I've been working on it. It's been hard to get the energy to come the way you showed me, but I can do some damage with it." Megan pointed casually at Trenton. "Mr. Wage here will provide written testimony if you like," she finished sardonically.

  
  


"Hmm," said John appraisingly, before spinning on his heel. "Come along, then. Let's get you settled down. You may heal fast, but that wound could get nasty if you stay on your feet much longer."

  
  


Megan blinked. "Um... it's not that I mind, but you're not even going to throw a punch?" asked with concern, "Are you feeling all right? I got Trenton all charged up on the idea, and everything! I'm sure you're not going to give up with me getting the old raging flames of anger in my heart under control," Megan finished with a crooked grin. 

  
  


John blinked, then sighed, "I don't mind your heart, but I sometimes worry about your brain. I think you've managed to punish yourself at this point. You go lie down, Megan. I'll handle your class at the school tonight." 

  
  


"What!" Megan demanded, shocked, "But... I promised I'd be there, I need to see them!" 

  
  


John shook his head, smiling, "Trust me, you have a reason for preemption. The information packet arrived from Vance, er, Mr. Boll," he explained to Trenton, remembering the company present who needed to be clued in, "He's got the upgrades with the new factory stuff finished, and wants to start the training cycle." John smiled, and asked, "In fact, he'll be here tonight. How about I come over with you to catch up with your parents and everyone can come over with them for dinner? It's the least I can do for lending some aid to my daughter, and there probably won't be much time left to catch up with the Trials right around the corner." 

  
  


Megan nodded, "It's what... three weeks until the qualification? About time," she said, forcing a chuckle through gritted teeth. The trio were now at the walkway up to the Garrison residence, which had the envious position of being built on a rise, the hill leading up to it giving a commanding view of the surrounding colony. 

  
  


Trenton and John waved as they continued when Megan started climbing up the hill. AS the men passed out of sight behind the trees she tried sitting down, though the sitting turned into more of a controlled collapse. She almost whimpered, but bit it off. "Come on, Megan, be adult! You're doing so well," she encouraged herself, prodding her side tentatively. She had enough experience to tell the wound hadn't reopened, but it must have been deeper than she thought; the quick heal techniques didn't usually take this much out of her.

  
  


After another few seconds of rest, Megan began the rest of the climb into the house, focused on her goal of the couch in the living room. Shambling at this point, she ignored the newspaper blaring out the tragic news, the blinking light on the answering machine, and the manilla folder marked, "Eagle Gundam: Reevaluation post rebuild." As soon as she settled down onto the battered sofa, sleep seized her away from a day that was already long despite the clock only reading ten in the morning.

  
  


To be continued....

  
  


Author's Notes: Wow, this took a while to come out. Sorry. College was busier than expected this semester. Now, this chapter was more talky than I liked, which came about a bit from effectively doing it in three phases. There was going to be a match with Megan's father at the end, but evidently Megan using some of the higher attacks got her a bye until the injuries healed. She'll be back up shortly.

  
  


Well, that or Megan has a slightly unfair view of her father, who's good enough to clearly read her weaknesses through the brave front she was putting up. You'll have to read more to see, along with what was watching Sai.

  
  


Oh yes, and two Gundams to show up later have been mentioned. The current plan next time is to actually show Megan's in preparation to actually starting the Gundam Fights thereafter. And then, more action... we still have two more Shuffles to check up on before we can really start, after all.


End file.
